


Meeting Who You Could Have Been

by AngieO131



Category: Original Work
Genre: Abuse, Death, Drugs, One Shot, Other, Parental Death, Rape, Writing Prompt, rape mentioned in passing, trigger warning
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-31
Updated: 2017-01-31
Packaged: 2018-09-21 05:48:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 654
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9534347
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AngieO131/pseuds/AngieO131
Summary: Based on writing-prompt-s' prompt:Someone once told me the definition of hell; on your last day on earth, the person you could have become will meet the person you became.See their tumblr at: writing-prompt-s.tumblr.comSee mine at: angie-writes.tumblr.com





	

_I wonder what she'll be like_ , you think as you lay in the hospital bed. You can hear the slowing of your heartbeat on the heart monitor, the sobs starting from your surrounding children as the doctor explains that you can still hear them even though you haven't yet come out of the coma- that you'll continue to hear them even after the heart monitor stops because you'll never actually leave them.

It was a crock of shit, if the doctor had asked your option, but they hadn't.

Even as the parting words from your children fell on dulling ears, you thought of the person you would soon see. 

Life had been rough and that was being kind about it: an abusive mother, dead father, an uncle that raped you in the middle of the night, youth years spent with the wrong crowd doing the wrong things, teenager years traveling with a band as a groupie after dropping out of schools, tattoos that you weren't proud of anymore, three failed marriages, and then your children selling everything you owned to keep you around this long after a horrible car crash at 43.

She had to be the better version of you. There was no other way to have survived this long without having found a more stable path. Perhaps she had used that anger to study hard and get out of your shitty hometown. She must have become something great like a doctor or lawyer, had more patience, lived more fully, loved more deeply. You could almost imagine that she probably didn't have a tattoo at all, only one piercing in each ear, her hair was probably still the natural honey colour. 

In the end, you couldn't even be upset that you hadn't turned out that way. There had still been moments of fresh breath that you found randomly, lengths of time where you thought that everything was going to start going right before hell broke loose again. 

When you opened your eyes, you were in a room with grey walls, a single door in the room and nothing else. When you felt the gentle touch on you shoulder, a smile graced you face as you turned, ready to see that life that you could have lived. But your eyes were met by those of a young girl, no older than 15. 

Horror crossed your expression as you looked her up and down, disbelief filling you as you took in every aspect as if you didn't have your own image burned into you brain already from that age. While scanning down her body, you spotted the slit wrists, blood dripping from her finger tips. Her smile was broad and toothy as she reached out her arms as if to ask for a hug. "I'm so proud of you..."

A sob burst from your throat as you pulled her into an embrace, clutching her tight. She was broken, literally bleeding, suicide... Your mouth could barely form the first word of your question before she shushed you. "You were so strong, so brave. I couldn't... I couldn't bear it any more, but you did."

You reached to brush her tears, but found that your hand passed right through her, realizing that even during the hug, you had felt no contact besides your own body. 

"You found your way even though I couldn't. You lived through your life even during the hard times. Our children were so beautiful... I'm glad that you were able to realize your strength. Depression, anxiety, paranoia... I know it was hard, but you made it one day at a time, and here you are. The best of us. I'm so proud... And I'm so glad that you can be here with me to walk to the other side..."

You reached your hand out, taking her hand, the first real contact since she had appeared to you, and together walked towards the door.


End file.
